Collection ericarchive; additional_collections

Since the 1960s the number of Danish wives going out to work has increased. In 1975, a national survey was conducted to elucidate farmers' wives' work performance in their homes and on and outside the farm. Only women under the age of 60 who were married to self-employed farmers with holdings of more than 5 hectares (1 hectare = 2.47 acres) were interviewed. Based on interviews with 320 women, these wives were divided into 4 groups: those who attended to the housework and had no other employment--wives not going out to work; those who assisted their husbands but had no other employment--assisting wives; those who had work outside the home and did not assist with farm work--working wives; and those who assisted with farm work and also had work outside the farm--assisting and going out to work. Some findings were: 26% were gainfully employed outside the farm, 72% normally assisted on the farm, and 16% had no employment besides their housework; women who went out to work were frequently found among the younger ones who had received vocational training; assisting wives were mainly found on the medium-sized holdings, ranging in size from 10 to 29 hectares; in most cases, employment outside the farm had given the farmer's wife a double workload; and assisting and going out to work wives were not relieved of domestic chores to a larger extent than the other wives. (NQ)